Speck Plätzchen (German Bacon Cookies)

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon (Diced; include any bacon fat released during sautéing)
• 0.5 onion (Finely diced)
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp caraway seeds (Ground)
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.125 tsp ground black pepper
• 0.25 cup water
• 1 egg (Beaten and divided; some is used in the dough and some for brushing the sliced cookies)
• 1 egg yolk (Divided; reserve some for brushing the cookies)
• 0.25 tsp cumin (For dusting)

Steps

1. 1

   Dice the bacon and finely dice the onion. Sauté the bacon in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat until nearly crispy, about 2–3 minutes.

2. 2

   Reduce the heat to medium, add the diced onion, and sauté for another 2–3 minutes, until the onion is soft.

3. 3

   Using a spatula, transfer the bacon and onion mixture to a bowl, including any extra bacon fat. Let the mixture cool completely.

4. 4

   Place the flour, baking powder, ground caraway, salt, and ground black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times on low speed to combine.

5. 5

   Add the water and beaten egg to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.

6. 6

   Add the completely cooled bacon mixture and pulse just until combined.

7. 7

   Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and knead it together with your hands until it forms a very stiff dough.

8. 8

   Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a log approximately 1½ inches in diameter and 6½ inches long.

9. 9

   Wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap or place them in a sealed bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to overnight, to let the flavors develop.

10. 10

    When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F.

11. 11

    Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice it into rounds about ¼ inch thick. Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet, spacing them ½ inch apart.

12. 12

    Brush the sliced cookies with a little reserved egg yolk and dust them with cumin.

13. 13

    Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the cookies are set and beginning to turn golden brown around the edges.

14. 14

    Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1–2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

15. 15

    Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Notes

The bacon fat transferred to the dough acts in place of butter and helps provide the cookies' texture. The source describes these as crisp, tender, thick-cracker-like savory bites. Structured data lists a 32-cookie yield; its nutrition metadata separately lists a serving size of 3 and 32 calories per serving.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• snack
• German
• savory
• baked
• party food
• make-ahead